A solemn award ceremony honoring the best representatives of Ukrainian sports for May took place at the Olympic House. Among those recognized by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine were: Oleksii Sereda as the Best Athlete of the Month, Tamara Tokmachova as Best Coach, and the President of the Ukrainian Diving Federation, Igor Lysov, for his significant contribution to preparing the champion.
Oleksii Sereda earned this prestigious recognition thanks to his outstanding performance at the recent European Diving Championships held in Antalya (Türkiye). There, he won three gold medals: in the individual and synchronized 10m platform (together with Mark Hrytsenko), as well as in the mixed team event alongside Kirill Boliukh, Kseniia Bailo, and Sofiia Lyskun.
While receiving the award for his contribution to the athlete’s development, Igor Lysov recalled that Kyiv had already hosted the European Championships twice — in 2017 and 2019. It was during the 2019 edition, at just 13 years old, that Sereda became the youngest European diving champion in history.
“We are eagerly looking forward to hosting top-level competitions again. We have already started renovating our pool, taking into account all modern standards, and this sports complex will definitely become the best in Europe,” — shared Igor Lysov.

During the ceremony, Oleksii Sereda thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine for making it possible to train and compete. He also expressed his gratitude to Federation President Igor Lysov, his coach Tamara Tokmachova, and the entire coaching staff: “These medals are your medals too. I see the prospects, I see the chances for more medals. I’m confident that if I keep working like this, results will come,” — emphasized the athlete.

Tamara Tokmachova, in turn, thanked the Federation for the modern sports base built in 2014, and the NOC expert commission — especially Vadym Guttsait — for recognizing the efforts of athletes and coaches.

This is Oleksii Sereda’s first such award from the NOC of Ukraine. Last year, he was honored with the title of “Best Young Athlete.”